Couldn't Pay Me Enough

I recently began an internship as a chaplain at UNC Hospitals. Thus far the experience has been wonderful and insightful. I am charged with the care for roughly 40 beds within the hospital plus sharing the responsibility of responding to the trauma pager when someone in bad shape comes to the emergency department (ED). Some of a chaplain's primary functions are to provide a calming presence, support, and grief counseling to those in need of it. Another function is to act as a liaison between the family and doctors when a trauma comes into the ED.

In a recent experience I met a family who's loved one was in the ED and in bad shape. The family was abrasive and short with me and the other chaplain present. However, as the hours passed and news steadily flowed in from doctors we bonded with the family. By the end of our time together they were telling us "we love you," thanking us, and all but kissing us goodbye. I can only hope that we made a positive impact on that family.

When trying my best to explain my role as chaplain to my "Chicago-ite" brother he earnestly responded, "man, you couldn't pay me enough to do that job." Luckily the hospital is hardly paying us at all.

But comments like that make me think back to my motivation for choosing this path. Being a chaplain this semester is going to be a difficult job, and I don't know if I'll choose to pursue chaplaincy as a career. However, I am thankful for those individuals in any hospital who have chosen the route of chaplaincy. There is little fame, glory, stature, or monetary gain for a hospital chaplain, but these people have chosen to submit themselves daily to helping others through difficult times often found in hospitals. That takes a special individual. Grieving over a lost child or hurting relative is not pleasant. As a chaplain for a semester I hope I can offer at least a bit of support to individuals such as these.

I plan on learning a lot during this internship by way of a unique experience and the counsel of those more experienced that I. Full time chaplains are surely remarkable people.

Go get'em Chappy!